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The Meadows

HammondCare’s The Meadows is a low-care dementia home consisting of three small, domestic cottages. Two of these cottages are home to 14 residents, and one is home to 12 residents.

Residential Aged Care

Built for independence and familiarity

We believe that the best place for people with dementia to be is home. When this is no longer possible, then our commitment is to provide an environment that looks, feels and operates like a home.

Research shows people living with dementia are most comfortable in small, familiar environments. Our cottages are designed to feel as little like an institution as possible, and give residents an opportunity to engage with the rhythms and routines of normal home life.

Residents are encouraged to live and operate in the cottage as they would in a home: the resident is free to spend time in any of the common areas, and the buildings are designed so each choice is a ‘right’ one. This means there are no dead-ends and any locked doors are unobtrusive. There are many visual ‘cues’ about where one is, and where one is heading. To minimise confusion, the central kitchen and living areas are always visible from corridors or other spaces.

HammondCare's The Meadows has been designed using internationally recognised principles to promote choice, minimise confusion and maximise independence for people living with dementia. You can read more about our principles of dementia design here.

The cottages

Although they are small and familiar, the three cottages within The Meadows contain a variety of common spaces, allowing residents to choose where and with whom they spend their time.

Residents in each cottage of The Meadows access to the following common spaces:

A fully functioning domestic kitchen

An open plan lounge and dining area

Two sunrooms

A parlour

Two backyard areas

A domestic laundry

Each cottage is a centred around a domestic kitchen and open plan living and dining area. This familiar, open space enables residents to take part in everyday kitchen and household activities.

The open plan lounge and dining areas have a variety of chairs, recliners and lounges catering to different needs.

Off these main common areas is a unisex toilet for general use. The bathroom door has a picture of a toilet, rather than the standard ‘stick-figure’ toilet signs, as these can be confusing for people with dementia.

Sun rooms contain lounge chairs and small tables, providing a common space that also allows a degree of privacy. The sunrooms are located at the ends of each cottage, often with views to the garden, and have good natural light.

Sun rooms and parlours are often used by residents to sit and read, or meet with family members for morning tea. Parlours contain tables and chairs, and provide a private break-out space for residents, their visitors, and staff. They also have a foldout bed and an ensuite which family members can use, should they wish to stay the night.

Back yards contain barbecues, benches and tables, raised garden beds and washing lines. They are used extensively for activities with residents, and family visits. Two of the cottages at The Pines have pergolas that back onto a duck pond.

All back yards are secure, and looping garden paths link the outdoors with the indoors, minimising confusion for residents. The gardens are kept in very good condition.

The domestic laundry has a washing machine, a dryer, a basin and a clear door so residents can see what is happening inside.

Rooms and accommodation

The bedrooms and bathrooms in the Hammondville's The Meadows cottages have been designed to minimise confusion and maximise independence and comfort for residents.

For example, memory boards filled with personal effects and photos are located at the entrance to residents’ bedrooms to help them identify their private space. Within the room, residents have a direct line of site from their bed to the toilet, promoting independence.

Residents are encouraged to bring their own furniture, soft furnishings and mementos to make their rooms familiar and comfortable. If that is not possible, residents can be provided with a bed, a bedside table, and a chair. Each of the bedrooms at the Meadows has a window and a built-in wardrobe. The bedrooms also have television and landline telephone ports, a safe heater under the window, a nurse call point by the bed and passive motion sensors at the bed, the entrance to the bedroom and the ensuite bathroom.

All the bedrooms in The Meadows have an ongoing maintenance program to ensure that they are in the best possible condition for residents.

The Meadows for couples

HammondCare’s The Meadows has single bedrooms, but provisions can be made for couples. For example, couples can be placed in adjacent rooms, with one room set up as the couple’s bedroom and the other serving as a lounge room. Couples with differing care needs can also be placed in different cottages on the same site.

Bathrooms

All the bedrooms at The Meadows have a large, private ensuite bathroom with ample room for equipment and aides as required. The ensuite bathrooms are in excellent condition and are equipped with an easy-access toilet, a basin and vanity unit with secure, lockable cupboards and an accessible shower unit.

The Meadows’ bedrooms and ensuites are approximately 15m2.

Excellence in food and nutrition

HammondCare is committed to an excellent food culture. All food is prepared by residents and staff in our kitchens.

Food preparation and planning is overseen by our Executive Chef and nutritionists, who ensure all the residents’ nutritional needs and tastes are catered to, and that varied, fresh and delicious food is available every day.

The model of having a domestic kitchen at the very centre of our cottages strongly influences the food culture at HammondCare Erina. The meals are, by definition, home-cooked and fresh – prepared and cooked with our residents, in their home. In this matter, like in many others, we strive to make HammondCare Erina feel as much like a home as possible.

Dementia design features

Hammondville's The Meadows has been built in line with best practice in dementia design, to enhance residents' sense of autonomy and dignity. Some of The Pine's dementia design features include:

Visual access: residents have a clear line of sight to a choice of common areas when they leave their rooms. This also means that staff can see throughout the facility to keep an eye on residents unobtrusively while they go about their work.

Lounge chairs have seat cushions and back rests with contrasting colours to support the independence of residents with dementia and poor eyesight.

All residents have access to secure, outdoor areas.

Back of house functions – such as deliveries and linen trolleys – are separated from the cottage environment, minimising distraction and confusion for residents.

All medication cupboards, stores and clinical equipment including dressings and boxes are stored in staff-only areas to make the cottages feel more like home.Memory boards at the entrance to residents’ rooms with personal photos that help them identify their rooms.

Residents have a direct line of site from their bed to the toilet, promoting independence.

Bedroom doors on different sides of the corridor are offset to minimise the likelihood of residents entering someone else’s room.

Toilet seats in contrasting colours to the bowl which support residents to function independently in the bathroom.

Higher than normal levels of lighting to assist people with vision impairment.

Fixtures and maintenance

The Meadows is single-storey and has no stairs. There are nurse call outlets located throughout the cottages and outdoor verandahs. The facility has an ongoing maintenance program to ensure that it remains in good condition. The Meadows was built in 1995.

Location

The Meadows is located on Thomas Ave, Hammondville NSW 2170 in the Liverpool Local Government Area (LGA). It is situated within The Hammond Village along with three other aged care facilities, 129 independent living units, a village centre and HammondCare’s Centre for Positive Ageing and Care.

The broad range of accommodation options at the village enables couples with differing care needs to remain close to each other even if they live in different settings.

Other amenities within the village include a GP clinic, onsite hairdressing facilities, a chapel, visitor parking, a café, swimming pool, exercise equipment and an innovative palliative care suite.

The Meadows is conveniently situated near several public services and health facilities including the Hammondville shops (900m), Wattle Grove Shopping Village (3km), Liverpool Hospital (6km), Liverpool Westfield (6.5km) and Casula Mall (7km).

The Meadows is close to the M5 Motorway (2.5km) and Heathcote Rd (1km), and a short distance from Holsworthy (2.5km) and Liverpool (5.5km) Stations.

The 902 bus route runs through The Hammond Village with bus stops just 200m from the Meadows, connecting the facility with train stations and public services at Holsworthy and Liverpool.

There are also several minibuses within the village which are used to take residents on regular outings.